Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini said his side's League Cup final triumph over Liverpool vindicated his decision to field a weakened team in their recent FA Cup defeat by Chelsea.
Pellegrini came in for criticism for selecting a youthful team almost completely devoid of recognisable names for City's trip to Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup fifth round, which saw Chelsea win 5-1.
But City's stars returned in a Champions League victory at Dynamo Kiev last week before edging Liverpool 3-1 on penalties in Sunday's League Cup final at Wembley after the match had finished 1-1 following extra time.
“I think the decision I took last week was very important to win these two games, mid-week in the Champions League and tonight (Sunday) to win the trophy,” said Pellegrini, who previously led City to League Cup glory in 2014.
“It was a difficult decision for me not to continue in the FA Cup, because we won the first two games in that cup 3-0 (against Norwich City) and 4-0 (against Aston Villa), but with 13 or 14 players, it was very important to keep them fresh.”
• Greg Lea: Shoot-outs produce unlikely heroes
Goalkeeper Willy Caballero, who deputises for Joe Hart in cup competitions, was City’s hero at Wembley, repelling spot-kicks from Lucas Leiva, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana in the shootout.
Coutinho had taken the tie to extra time with an 83rd-minute equaliser, after Fernandinho had put City in front early in the second half with a shot that went through Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Pellegrini resisted calls to recall Hart and claimed afterwards that he would rather have lost the match than break his promise to Caballero, who followed him from Malaga to the Etihad Stadium in 2014.
“I’d rather lose the title than lose my word,” he said, adding that Hart had shown he was a “good person” by supporting his deputy.
Caballero, 34, revealed in a tearful post-match interview that his shootout saves had been the product of “intuition” and Pellegrini praised the Argentine for not committing himself too early.
Despite his impending departure, Pellegrini said that he was not thinking about things from a personal perspective and voiced hope that Sunday’s triumph would prove a spur to success in the Premier League and Champions League.
• In Pictures: City's Cup win
“I’m not thinking about me, I’m thinking about the club,” said the Chilean, whose side trail league leaders Leicester City by nine points with a game in hand. “Fortunately for us, we now have three or four players coming back to the squad, so we are not going to give up any chances to win the Premier League. We are going to fight to the end and try to continue in the Champions League.”
Jurgen Klopp, who had been bidding to win his first trophy as Liverpool manager, said that his team’s performance had been “perfect until the last kick” — the winning penalty, scored by Yaya Toure.
Liverpool will have an immediate chance to exact revenge when City visit Anfield on Wednesday, but Klopp admitted that it will take time to digest the disappointment of defeat.
Read more: Diego Forlan – Manchester City, Pep Guardiola and Manuel Pellegrini all know the deal, coaches come and go
“We have so many games, do you think I go home and close the door and stay there for the next four weeks?” he said. “But you have to feel a defeat. You can’t say, ‘Oh, I don’t care, it’s not important.’ It was important. We lost and it doesn’t feel too good.
“You know you fall down, but you have to stand up. That’s the truth, but that’s completely normal. Only silly idiots stay on the floor. If we carry on, work really hard, there is light at the end of the tunnel. That’s what we know. We stay in the race, no doubt about this. But tonight we feel rubbish.”
Klopp also said that French centre-back Mamadou Sakho “looked better after the game”, having been withdrawn — against his will — during the first half following a clash of heads with team-mate Emre Can.
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Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers
Find the right policy for you
Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.
Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.
Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
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- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
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What are the regulations?
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How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
